I'll Show You All
by Crowned Clown X
Summary: This isn't you typical "Natsu kicks Lucy off the team" story. When a former 'dark mage' joins Fairy Tail, recruited by Lucy no less, will our beloved Celestial Mage's life take a turn for the better, or the worse? Follow the adventures of these two mages as the bond between them grows stronger with each job request. And who knows, maybe they'll even become S-Class? T for swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey all! As many of you probably realized, or at least those who read my Guardian Trilogy, I have been on a hiatus of sorts. I needed to get things straightened out here at home with family and school. Most of that has been dealt with, but there are still some things I need to sort out.

*Note: None of which are medical reasons involving MY OWN health and welfare. All health problems - both physical and mental - have pretty much been prioritized by my sister, who has multiple mental disorders and addictions/bad habits that she is struggling to break and deal with. She just quit her job to help heal her Gull Bladder (so sadly she's moved back in with us for the next few weeks).

I have multiple hobbies, I've prioritized writing, but I would like to draw scenes, OC's, armor and weapons, etc., for you all, so I have that as well. I've been taking piano lessons, but they've been interfering with not only my writing but also school slightly, so I'm thinking of dropping that.

… I'm sorry for going on about all that. That must've been a strange mixture of awkwardness and boringness. You were probably thinking something like "Why is he telling us all this?" Well, to answer that question, I have no idea.

ANYWAYS! Back to the hiatus stuff, I'm going to keep my hiatus up till the end of November, I might even extend it into a little bit of December. I'm going to continue writing for this story, updating however often as possible. I'll continue to right Part 2 of the guardian trilogy, but since that's almost over (yes, it's actually close to finishing! The next few chapters will wrap up almost everything for that part of the story.) I'll continue this story afterwards. Also, since The Guardian Trilogy (TGT is what I'm gonna start calling it for the sake of time) isn't my most popular story, which is understandable since there are so many OC's and the first part isn't written the best, I'm gonna work on my other stories before beginning Part 3 of TGT. I know I said I'd have a poll up, but I took that down after like the first vote lol. I had decided what I wanted to do afterwards, but since I don't know what I'm gonna do after this one I'll probably create another one.

Geez, this is a long ass Author's Note. For any who have, for whatever reason, read all of this, I commend you. You are able to put up with my rambling, congratulations. NOW! ONTO THE STORY! ^.^

**I'll Show You All**

**Chapter One**

**~~~Lucy's POV~~~**

Seven months. That's how long it's been since I've gone on a mission with Team Natsu, or any of it's members really. At first, I thought it was just because Lisanna was back, but after the first month, suspicion started to take root. I remember it clearly still, almost as if it had happened yesterday.

I had walked up to my teammates; Natsu, Grey, Erza, and Happy. They were sitting at a table near the bar, talking with Lisanna. I was actually kind of nervous, I hadn't talked with any of my teammates since the take over mage returned. In fact, when Lisanna wasn't conversing with them or her brother and sister, much of the time we were talking with each other. We became really good friends. Almost as good friends as Levy and I.

I stopped walking and stood in front of their table, waiting for them to notice me. Lisanna and Happy noticed me right away, but the others weren't as fast. It actually took Lisanna telling them that I was standing there for the three mages to realize I was there.

"Um, hey Luce. Whatcha need?" Natsu asked warily.

What was up with him? Why did he say it like that? It's not like I would hurt him right? I mean, we're best friends, why would he act like I was Acnologia itself? Was he... was he scared of me? Was he scared of something I might do? It was to many questions at once for my mind to handle. To many questions that caused a shot of paint to go through my heart.

"I-I was just wondering if you guys wanted to go on a mission. My rent is due soon and I thought it would be fun if we all went together." I answered.

His question shook me, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what was plaguing his mind. I looked at Grey and Erza. They seemed to have a similar look on their faces too. Why was that? Were they keeping a secret from me? Lisanna seemed to have noticed the strange air they were putting off, and was apparently just as confused as I was. Happy was oblivious to what was going on around him as he munched down on a fish.

"Lucy, there is something we have been meaning to talk to you about." Erza sternly stated. That didn't make me feel any better. "We believe it would be best for everyone if Lisanna took your place on the team."

Suddenly, my world froze in place. What did she say? It looked like Erza was saying something again, but everything she said was met by my deaf ears. All I could hear was my heart pound against my chest. I was being replaced? B-But why? Wasn't I a valuable to the team? All I could manage to say was a single word.

"W-What?"

"You know Lucy, this would be a great chance for you to build up your strength and rack up some major jewels. Who knows, you might even find some celestial keys." Grey added on with a wide smile.

He completely ignored the sadness that donned my face. My emotions were to great for me to even attempt to mask them. I felt betrayed by them, all of them. Especially Lisanna. How could they do that to me? How could she do that to me? I thought we became really good friends. I would even go as far to say that we almost became sisters.

"Wouldn't that be great Lisanna! Being on the same team? It'll totally be awesome! All the adventures we would have together, just imagine them all!" Natsu exclaimed.

I felt my heart shatter at that moment. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes, but I held them back. It took all I had, but I would not show the weak person they thought I was. I could not show it. Not if it meant showing them that they were wrong. Showing them that she wasn't the weak person they thought she was.

"Hold on! You guys never spoke to me about this! Yes, I would love to be apart of Team Natsu, but not if that means Lucy gets kicked out!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"What!" Happy screamed. "Why would you kick Lucy out!" Apparently, the blue exceed had chosen that moment to start listening to the intense conversation around him. Happy's scream, I noticed, seemed to attract the attention of everyone else in the guild. I couldn't care enough though, my anger towards my now ex-teammates was to strong.

"No. No, it's okay Lisanna, Happy." I started. Natsu, Grey and Erza smiled at me happily for 'understanding'. Everyone else in the guild looked at me in bewilderment. "If these inconsiderate assholes, who are to blind and dense to actually consider other people's feelings, think I'm so much of a bother that I was really only a temporary replacement then let them. It's enough to know not all of you betrayed me."

It hurt to say all that, but I needed to get it off my chest. I barely suppressed a chuckle when I saw the shocked look on the faces of all the guild members. The most amusing had to be the faces of my ex-teammates. I wasn't one to use profanities, but when I did, it was more obvious than not that I was extremely pissed off. The pain in my heart was shrunk with everyone of those words, and then I realized, I must have hurt them too, what with my cruel words, but that was fine by me. They deserved to feel the pain I was feeling right now, luckily for them it was only a fraction, a fragment, of the turmoil of pain inside me at that moment still.

Silently, I walked to the request board and quickly scanned it. If I was going solo, then I would need to get a job done now if I was going to pay rent in time. The missions were a little light today, though. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they all had to do with dealing with either bandits, monsters, or rogue mages. Looking at the prices, I noticed that none of them were below four hundred thousand jewels, a typical amount for these types of missions. One mission in particular interested me.

**Please help! A dark mage has been terrorizing the downtown area of Hargeon!**

**Request Patron: Akatsuki Yamanashi**

**Award: 450,000 Jewels, Two Silver Celestial Keys**

Well then, I guess Grey's idea of looking for more celestial keys starts now. This seems like a great mission to start my solo career, too. Really show those bastards just how strong I really am. I walked over to Mira at the bar as I ignored the blatant stares of my fellow guild members.

"I'll take this job, Mira." I said as I handed the bar maiden the request flyer. I was feeling a little excited, actually. Maybe it was the fact that I would be doing this without a fellow guild member? Not counting Loke of course. Or maybe it was the fact that I would be proving the others wrong? I'm not sure, but I'm not going to let this excitement die down. I could already feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

Mira broke out of her stupor once the blonde talked to her only to say, "Are you sure Lucy? This seems a little tough."

I know Mira was only saying that out of worry, so I wasn't to annoyed that she tried to deter me. She didn't doubt my strength, that I'm sure, she was only looking out for me. It occurred to me that may have been what Natsu and the others were trying to do, but not once did they say anything about keeping me away from dangerous missions, so I threw that thought aside.

"It's okay Mira. I'm stronger than you think. I've been seriously training this past month. Plus, if I do need help in the end, I've got Loke and the others." I reassured the poster girl.

"Well, if you're sure. I can't stop you." Mira sighed in defeat. Mirajane took the flyer and went to record that I was taking it.

"Lu-chan, what kind of job are you taking?" Levy asked, the first of the other guild members to approach the celestial mage. The bluenette was my best friend, always encouraging me. And always asking me about how my novel was coming along, too. That was something that I took great joy in, those questions, maybe because she cared to ask me about something as trivial as a book I'm writing? It was the sign of a true friend, that I'm sure of.

"I just have to take down a rogue mage. Nothing hard. I'll be back in a week tops. Also," I leaned in to whisper into her ear, "with the money I'm getting, I'll have plenty of time to work on my novel."

I quickly moved my head away before the bookworm squealed in delight at the realization. With stars in her eyes, Levy grabbed my hands and commanded loudly, "You need to go on this job, Lu-chan! For the sake of literature!"

I giggled at her excitement. This was why we were the best of friends, we had so much in common!

"Of course Levy-chan! With all this extra time coming, I'll write a story for the history books!" I cheered along. Not long after, Mirajane returned.

"Here you go Lucy. Be careful, would you?" Mira asked as she returned the flyer to me.

Still on my high from dreaming about where my novel will go, I happily rolled my eyes at the simple plea. "Of course, Mira. It's just one mage. I practically have a whole magic militia under my belt, quite literally too! I'll be fine." I gave Mira and Levy one last smile before turning around and made my way to the entrance of the guild.

During my conversation with Mira and Levy, it seemed that most of the guild recovered their surprise, even if it was only hushed whispering to one another. The only ones that weren't seemed to be the table where the new Team Natsu sat. The five still stared at me, their eyes following me as I walked along the pathway in the middle of the guild hall. As I passed their table I waved goodbye to Lisanna and Happy.

"Bye Lisanna! Bye Happy! I'll see you in a couple days!" I beamed at the two as they smiled back and waved their hands back weakly. I turned my attention to the other three mages occupying the table as well. I smirked. "See ya, jackasses."

With that, I walked to the large wooden doors that acted at the main entrance to the guild hall. I pushed the heavy doors open with ease before turning around to take one last look at all the people before.

"Bye everyone! See you all in a few days!" I smiled joyfully at all the mages as the erupted in a chorus of goodbyes.

I exited the guild and made my way to my apartment. I needed to talk to the landlady about pushing pay day back by a day or two. Even though it wasn't exactly one would normally do, she was an understanding woman, if a bit stern. Besides, with so many months of rent money coming all at once, she'd probably be more than happy to push back the date payment needed to be in.

**~~~FORWARD! ^.^~~~**

I soon made it to the home of the landlady and explained the situation I was in. It took a bit of coercion but eventually we came to a compromise. My rent was due in two days, but the soonest I could be back was three. So to make up for the delay, I'd pay an extra thousand jewels for each day I was late in payment. It seemed fair to me, I even got her to agree that if something like this ever came up again, we'd fall back to this deal.

With my housing arrangements made, all that was left was to pack for the trip. So that's what I did. I quickly made my way home, not forgetting to balance on the edge of the cobbled street and river that my apartment was located on. When I finally arrived, I hurriedly packed a few articles of cloths into my small traveling bag before heading off to the train station. I made sure to lock both my door and my windows before I left though. I really didn't want a certain group of people breaking in while I was gone.

So with my newfound determination, a new goal, and a new mindset, I made my way to Magnolia Train Station. There I would board a train to Hargeon and begin my new life as a solo mage.

_"If only I knew that this new life I was about to lead would be so short lived, and that the man I was about to meet would change my life forever. I didn't know what was in store, and as it would turn out, neither would he."_

**A/N: **So? Did you like it? I made it extra long, just for you all. I really like the style of writing I used for this one, so I think I'm gonna stick with it. Btw, 'cause i'm sure everyone who reads this will want to know, that last little bit in italics is like a thought Lucy is having, a little comment about the story. For everyone who's played Final Fantasy XIII, it's like the little narrations (or whatever you want to call them) that Vanille has at the end of every chapter of so. I haven't played the game in so long I can't think of a topic off the top of my head, hold on… I _think_ that near the beginning of the game, as the group just begins to travel through the crystal lake, Vanille has a little narration. I could be wrong, but if you get what I'm talking about then there you go. If not, well then I'm out of ideas on how to explain it.

UGH! Another long Author's Note. I'M SORRY! I hope you all enjoyed it though


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I know, it's been months T.T I just haven't had the inspiration to write. But then I got emailed about someone following this story, and I couldn't remember which one it was. So I read it, and got my inspiration once again. Who would've thought it would be one of my own stories. I didn't. I was sure it was going to be someone else's, even though I never found one that did. Anyways, I finally have a chapter up after so long, so I won't try to bore you all with an Author's Note.

**Chapter 2**

**~~~Lucy POV~~~**

I stepped out onto the streets of the port city of Hargeon, the bright sunshine warming my skin. I always loved it here; whether it was the smell of sea salt, the sounds of seagulls, or the refreshing ocean breeze. And after a long train ride, I happily took in the overwhelming sensations with open arms. It was similar to Magnolia, what with Magnolia having it's bay, but there was something about Hargeon that the home city of Fairy Tail just couldn't compete with. I took in a deep breath, enjoying the sensation, before starting on my way, hoping that this feeling of inner tranquility would last a little longer.

**~~~Forward!~~~**

Downtown Hargeon wasn't nearly as peaceful as the rest of the city, what with being plagued by multiple gangs that controlled this part of the city. I was suspicious why the client wanted to meet in this area of town. It was perfectly possible that they just lived in the area, but with what I had collected on my way here, I wasn't so sure. Numerous people I had questioned said that nearly nobody in this neighborhood wasn't a part of one of the underground gangs, and if they weren't then they were just some thug for hire. Why the hell would I be requested to meet the client here?

As I made my way deeper into downtown Hargeon, the dirtier and more vile my surroundings seemed to become. Spray paint was found on every wall, windows were shattered, and the doors to homes hung limply by a hinge - that is, if they had a door at all. Everywhere I looked, devastation seemed to find it's way to my eyes. Yet the oddest thing was the fact that there were no people. None. Not a whisper or word could be heard, only the whistle of the wind in my ear.

I wisely kept my guard up as I continued on. This place was not safe. I was not safe.

I traveled the barren streets undeterred from my current path. I wanted answers, and I had a feeling the only way I was going to get them was by completing this job. It wasn't long before I made it to the building where the client was supposed to be. Curiously, this seemed to be one of the rare occurrences where the door was nearly intact. Why is that?

Warily, I knocked on the door before entering. The only source of light was the sunshine streaming in through a single broken window and now open door. I took a few more steps into the building. Was there no one here?

"Hello?" I called out into the dark empty space.

"Shh! Quiet down will ya!" Someone hushed urgently. I whipped my face to the right, my hands instinctively going to my fleuve d'etoiles. Slowly, a wire thin man - one with oily black hair, pale skin, thick glasses and probably in his early twenties - stepped out of the darkness that blanketed the corner of the room. "C-close the door, will ya?" I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously, but did as was asked. I didn't sense any magic power from him, he wasn't much of a threat. "Good, now come over 'ere! I'll take ya's to Yamanashi."

Yamanashi? That was the name of the client. It seemed I would have to do as he said for now, no matter how much I wanted to unleash Taurus upon him. That would be bad though, so instead I made sure my hand was near my fleuve d'etoiles at all times. I walked over and stood behind the man as he did something to the wall. Immediately after he tapped different spots on the wall a section began to move away, revealing a passage leading underground. I followed the man silently and eventually we came upon a large white room. Light was coming from lachryma crystals that lined the room's walls.

In the center of the room sat a large, oval table created from a rich, dark wood. It could easily seat twenty people, but currently only five men were occupying seats. These five people were seated near what I could only assume was the head of the table. They all seemed to be in their late thirties early forties, and each one was dressed in a black suit, as if they were a high upper class.

"My name is Lucy, I am from Fairy Tail. I'm here to meet with Akatsuki Yamanashi about a job request." One of these five men had to be the client, so I wasted no time before introducing myself. The sooner this was over, the sooner I could get away.

The man sitting in the middle of the group rose. "I am Akatsuki Yamanashi. Please, sit while we inform you of what has been happening." Yamanashi motioned to a chair on the opposite side of the table.

"I'm fine, thank you." I remained standing.

"Very well then." He sat himself back down before continuing. "You are probably wondering why we are down here."

"It's crossed my mind." I stated simply.

"Yes," The man drawled. "This building used to be the headquarters for an undercover military organization aiming to bring peace to this section of the city. Obviously, they failed. We have taken refuge here, hidden away from the power of the dark mage that now haunts us."

One of the other men began to speak up next, "This man has kidnapped the people who lived here, taken them as his prisoners. You must help us get them back!" He was sweating nervously and visibly shaking. Was he nervous, or scared?

I eyed the group of men, studying their faces. If this mage had really taken so many people as prisoners, then the Magic Council would have been called in, not some random mage from a random guild. What were these men playing at? No matter what it was, I'll do the job, then I'll get some answers.

"Very well then, I'll take down this mage for you. Where do you suggest I start looking?"

"For some reason, he sent us one of his prisoners - the man you met before - to tell whoever he came across that this mage would be at Vertigo Park." Another of the five informed. "Vertigo Park is a children's park slightly south of here, though it hasn't been used in years."

I nodded my head in understanding. "Alright, thank you. I'll begin my search there then." The man from before led me out after that.

**~~~Forward!~~~**

It was nearing sunset by the time I was coming up on Vertigo Park, and that was when I started to see signs of numerous battles. I stopped to examine some marks left behind on a cement wall. They looked like claw marks, strange. Could this mage use takeover magic? Or maybe claw magic like Toby from Galuna Island. Either way, I would have to be careful.

I continued down the abandoned street towards the park, every so often stopping to examine more marks. There weren't very many, and they didn't run very deep either. Who was he fighting? Hargeon wasn't known for it's mages, so he had to have been against regular common folk. Or as regular as they came here. What were those men from before hiding?

I picked up my pace towards Vertigo Park. As I continued along, the distance between marks closed. I have to be getting close. My brisk walk quickly evolved into running when I heard the sounds of battle being waged not far ahead. In a few moments I arrived just in time to see the end of the battle I had been hearing.

A tall boy, around my age, swatted another man, who may have been in late twenties at least, far to the left and into a rusted jungle-jim. A high pitched _clang_ rang out at the impact, followed by a hollow _thud_ as the man's body fell to the ground, unconscious.

The boy had yet to see me as he walked over to inspect his fallen foe. Deciding that this would probably be my only chance at a preemptive strike, I pounced.

I leaped high into the air, my distance from my target increased by the fact that the park was built in a basic below ground level. Once I reached the peak of my ascent, I brought out fleuve d'etoiles. I employed my celestial whip with relative ease, wrapping it around the torso of the boy just as reached the unconscious man. To say he was surprised would be an understatement, but I didn't give him much time to react. With all my strength, I tugged the mage high above me into the air, then, using the added effect of gravity and the power of my own descent, rocketed him back into the ground. A billowing dust cloud appeared where he landed on the far end of the park.

I kept my distance. I didn't know what kind of magic this guy had nor how much damage I dealt.

Seconds passed before I felt a surge of magic behind, I twirled around just in time to block his attack with fleuve.

I took this momentary pause to get a better look at him and gauge his magic. He had jet black hair and the eyes as green and brilliant as untouched emeralds. He was well built, especially for a mage, even more than Natsu and Gajeel. But that wasn't what caught my attention, however. It was his magic. Dark shadows coated his hand, long piercing claws extended from each of fingers.

Suddenly he drew his other hand back as shadows enveloped it as well. The sleeves of his shirt were torn off, so I was able to see his muscles tense, preparing to strike. It only took a thought in that mere instant before fleuve entangled itself up his right arm, across his chest, and up the other arm. Once it reached his left wrist, fleuve constricted itself, keeping the mage from moving either of his arms.

I was about to question him when I sensed another surge of magic flare from below us. I didn't look down, instead I jumped away, forced to either leave fleuve with him or bare injury to the now clawed foot that made it's way to where the air where my head was.

"Who are you?" He asked once I landed a safe distance away, tossing fleuve a ways behind him. "You're not like the others. I didn't realize they had a mage among them," he paused for a moment then spoke again. "Doesn't matter, I guess. I'll take you down, just like the others."

With that, he launched himself forward, not leaving me a chance to respond. I leaped into the air yet again, about to summon a spirit when he did something I didn't expect. He flipped himself in the air, stopping his forward motion with one of his shadow claws, before thrusting himself forward towards where he discarded my whip.

My eyes widened at the sight. _He thinks I'm going for fleuve? He must think I'm a weapons mage! _He would be in for a shock then. His back was to me, he wouldn't see it coming. I swiped two gold keys from my key ring. It was risky, summoning two spirits at once, but it was the only way this would work.

"Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo! Open! Gate of the Twins, Gemini!" I announced as I started falling towards the ground again.

A bright flash of light erupted in front of me, followed by the materialization of the two Zodiac Spirits. I nodded at them, communicating my plan to them on a telepathic level, a skill I was able to develop over the last month of training.

By this time, the shadow mage had reached fleuve and realized that I wasn't attempting to retrieve it. He was quick to berate himself by hitting himself upside the head at his own stupidity. He turned to face me, I'm sure, but the only thing he would see is a cloud of dust and dirt, veiling me from his eyes.

**~~~Switch!~~~**

The shadow mage stood there, waiting for Lucy to attack. He scanned the area, and attempted to sense her magical presence. The only magic he could sense, though, was coming from that dust cloud.

Suddenly, Lucy burst forth running towards him, a gold key in both hands. The shadow mage stood his ground, and prepared himself for the close combat. He rapidly engulfed his hands in his shadow claws, and switched to an offensive stance. There he waited, watching as Lucy came closer and closer, her eyes never leaving him, and his her.

Just as she was right outside striking distance, and the mage moved to do just that, she leapt back. At that moment, the ground beneath him crumbled away as the pink haired maiden Virgo emerged, piercing him in the back. He stumbled forward, where Lucy was waiting for him and delivered a swift kick to the side, which clumsily blocked with one arm and knocked him to the left several yards.

Quickly, he regained his composure as he blocked and evaded the oncoming series of attacks launched by Lucy and Virgo. Even though they weren't dealing any damage, they were still pushing him back. Sometimes only a step or two, sometimes leaps and bounds.

He had just jumped out of the way of one of Virgo's attacks, and when he should've felt ground, he felt nothing. The surprise at the lack of ground caused him to hesitate just long enough for him to fall onto his back. A light thud echoed off the walls of the pit he was now in. He shoved his elbows down into the ground as support for getting up when something heavy impacted his chest, causing him to collapse once again.

"I would not do so unless the Princess commanded it so."

The mage opened his eyes to see the pink haired spirits standing above him, one of the chains attached to her shackles lying on top of his chest. His eyes drifted upwards, towards the mouth of the pit where Lucy and yet another pink haired maiden, identical to the one above him, stood.

"How...?" He weakly gasped.

The maiden at the opening of his earthen cage shined a golden light before splitting into two beings, simple blue creatures floating around Lucy.

**~~~Switch!~~~**

I looked down at the shadow mage. I crouched down onto my knees and lowered my head slightly, making it seem like I was trying to get a better look at him. Where in all honesty I barely had enough energy to keep myself, and this facade of strength, up right.

"Who are you? Why have you been attacking the people here?" I interrogated.

The black haired boy looked up at me defiantly, but then he looked over to Virgo then back up to me where the defiance in his eyes was overtaken by resignation.

"My name's Hadrian Drake. I'm a traveling mage," he started. "One day, I was walking through this park when I was mugged. I wanted my stuff back, so I attacked the gangs that were here. Figured the guy had to be in one of them, what with the reputation this place has. So I started battling every person I found. If they didn't have my bag with them, I would take them to the authorities. Built up quite the sum of money even, what with most of them having some kind of reward on their heads."

I squinted my eyes in thought. "If you're lying, Virgo will be forced to issue punishment. Forewarning, she _really _likes punishment."

The man looked over at Virgo, and I could've sworn I saw a sparkle run through her eyes.

"N-no need for that. No reason what so ever. I've no reason to lie to a beautiful, smart, and strong girl like you."

I smirked, "Flattery will get you no where, though I do appreciate the compliments. And if you're anything similar to what I've been told, then you would have plenty of reason to lie to me."

He raised an eyebrow at that last part. "Oh? What have you been told? That I'm, what, a murderer, terrorist? Maybe a dark mage or slaver? Oh wait! I know! I'm a sexual deviant who preys on poor homeless animals and the souls of children!"

I couldn't help but let out a laugh at that. I smiled down at him, "Dark mage," I answered, "but I highly doubt one such as yourself would be one."

He chuckled, "One such as myself? And what, prey tell, is one such as myself?"

"Snarky*, sarcastic, not afraid to say what you think and unaffected by the vain opinions of others."

He roared with laughter at that. "My, my. I'm going up in the world then!"

I released a short laugh at that before turning to face both Gemini and Virgo, "You two can return home now. Thanks for all the help!"

"You sure, Lucy? We can sense how much magic power you have left. You may not be able to summon us again." Gemini said worriedly, despite their expressionless faces.

"I'll be fine, Loke should be able to sense if there's trouble."

"All right Lucy! Bye bye!" Gemi and Mini chorused before disappearing.

"Punishment, Princess?" Virgo requested from below.

I turned my gaze down to Virgo, who still had her chain planted on Hadrian, keeping him pinned down. "Maybe another time." Virgo nodded before disappearing as well, freeing Hadrian.

I reached down and grasped Hadrian's hand. Employing all my strength, the last remaining drops of adrenaline in my blood, and even Hadrian clumsily 'clawing' up the dirt wall, we were able to free him from his subterranean prison. When he was finally free, I stumbled back a few steps while Hadrian dusted off his pants.

"So I hope I'm not misplacing my trust by believing you over my employers." I jokingly said to him.

Hadrian was still looking down, cleaning himself off when he responded. "Yeah. I would hate to piss you off. It was hard enough even keeping up with you in battle. For a Celestial Spirit mage, your yourself are pretty strong."

I giggled at the compliment, especially since that was my main reason for taking this mission, to prove my strength. "Why thank yo-" I started before I suddenly found herself hugged tight against Hadrian's chest, his arm extended out behind me.

Looking back, I saw the body of the man Hadrian had been fighting before I arrived, sprawled across the ground, a knife a few feet from his hand, glinting in the orange light of the twilight sun. At that moment, the full effects of the battle hit me like a punch from Erza to the head. My knees went weak, and I would have fallen to the ground had it not been for Hadrian's tight grip around me.

I looked up in order to see Hadrian's face, and I finally realized just how much of a difference there was in our height. I only came up to his shoulders. He looked down at me and smiled largely.

"Looks like I was pretty tough, too. Huh?"

I couldn't help but give back a smile of equal measure.

_"It was at that moment that our fates were sealed, and our destinies intertwined. No matter the warnings, those destinies didn't scare us. Maybe they should have."_

**A/N: **So? How did you like it? I actually worked really hard on the part right above this. The funny part about this chapter, I didn't even mean for it to be this long. I figured it would only be like 1,500 words, maybe around 2,000. Not over three! But it works better this way, so I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Tell me how you guys like Hadrian! He reminds me of myself actually, which is weird since I try not to incorporate myself into my OC's. Well… I guess that it, though. See everyone in a few days! Annyong!

*Snarky: I'm pretty sure I used that to describe Hadrian right. My sister called me that once, and since Hadrian's personality is similar to mine in a way, I figured it might work.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm so so so sorry that this is so late! I meant to update last month, but time slipped me by and I became distracted by other writing projects! You may punch me now, I deserve it! T.T

That does lead me to my next topic, though. I'm going to be trying to update once a month, not necessarily this story, but any story on my profile. I want to get Part 2 done of TGT, since it's close to being over. My next topic is that I'll update again this month, since this chapter was supposed to be last month's. I'm reaching the end of spring break, so I'm going to try to finish the next one over the weekend, but I can't guarantee that though, since I have a project I have to do that I haven't started and due on the 20th.

Sooo, yeah. Another chapter this month, haven't really decided on the story yet. New chap every month, story can can change from month to month.

I AM going to try to update more frequently when my summer breaks starts (I only have 30 school days after this weekend! So about a month and 1 week). The only problem is that I'll be in Europe for 3 weeks over my summer break and I won't be bringing my laptop. I will try to work on my iPod since I have a text writer on it, but I won't promise anything concerning that. I'll have plenty of time over break, so I might be able to update every week or close to that, but again, no promises.

Man, this is a long A/N, sorry about that! ONTO THE STORY!

**Chapter 3**

**~~~Lucy's POV~~~**

I don't know how long we stayed in that position, his arms wrapped around me protectively. It had to have been a while, because by the time I finally noticed it was already dark out, the sun having set and the moon currently rising through the cloudless night sky.

At one point I breathed in, and the moment I did my senses were overwhelmed by an intoxicating aroma. He smelled of sweat and freshly crushed pine needles. It reminded me of times when I would play with mother in the garden. But it was different from then, too, something more. Was it sea salt? I wasn't sure, but all the same, it made me not want to leave his arms.

At that moment I realized what I just thought, and I swear I felt my face burn brighter than Natsu's flames ever could. I squeaked, a meek attempt at trying to say something, before quickly covering my mouth with my hands,

_Please let him not have heard that! I'll die of embarrassment! _I thought. Unfortunately, the fates seemed to have chosen me as their next comedy act.

"Did you just squeak?" Hadrian questioned, not even trying to mask his amusement.

Shyly, I looked up at his smirking face and up into his gleaming eyes. "U-um, well... C-could you, well... Uh, l-let me go? Please?"

Hadrian's eyes widened as he finally noticed the position they were in. His cheeks went ruddy, and maybe reddened to the extent of my own after hearing it said aloud. One of his arms was wrapped around my shoulders, the other my waist, while my curled up hands rested on his chest. I felt his arms tense, but not move away. If I had to be honest, I didn't want them to either. But I still had the mission to complete.

Finally he released me, much to my secret dismay, though I would never say otherwise. I did note however that I felt him hesitate for a moment, I'm not sure if he did though. After that he stepped back and coughed into his hand.

"W-well then, I guess we better get going. What's the plan?" He squeezed out.

I mimicked him and coughed into my hand as well before speaking. "Well, my employer will want proof that you've been defeated."

"Yes! I mean, yes, yes, right! Who is your employer exactly?" The words left Hadrian's mouth before he even realized he was talking.

I giggled at his slip up, and was tempted to tease him about it, but decided to answer his question seriously instead. "Just a bunch of suits. My guess is that it's not gangs that have inhabited this part of the city, but competing criminal organizations. Drug cartels and slavers, most likely. There's no other reason for them to hire a mage."

By this point Hadrian was able to compose himself, mostly. His cheeks were still slightly ruddy.

"Then what do you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking we get some rope, there's bound to be some around here, and tie you up. Make them think it's magic nullifying or something. I'll collect the reward, then we can take them out and turn them into the authorities."

He nodded his head in understanding before resting his chin in the crook of his hand. "All right, but you're low on magic and I'm wiped from the-" he paused to cough into hand, "battle earlier. There's also a good chance that at least one of them is a mage, we're going to need a battle strategy."

I smirked at the obvious comment, "I'm way ahead of you."

**~~~Forward!~~~**

**~~~Switch!~~~**

Lucy walked into the old abandoned building where she had met with the five men. Behind her was Hadrian, arms bound to his side by a rope Lucy had wrapped around her hand.

"Hey creepy guy! You here?" She called out. She was met with silence.

"Really? 'Hey creepy guy'?" Hadrian mocked.

"Shut up! You'll remain silent, prisoner!" The blonde barked before tugging roughly on the rope, causing Hadrian to stumble forward after his _captor_, who was now walking farther into the room.

Once he regained his footing, Hadrian smirked, "Sorry, this prisoner's got a lot of bark in him. You may have beaten me, but that doesn't mean I can't get a little bit of joy out of this as well."

Lucy rolled her eyes and let out a huff of annoyance, but did not dignify the retort with an actual response. Instead she opted for moving towards the hidden entrance near the back of the building. Examining the door, she let out another huff of annoyance. She didn't know hoe to open the thing. Well at least not the intended way.

"Hey! Open up!" She yelled as she banged harshly on the cement wall. A few moments passed and nothing happened. She banged again. "I swear, if you don't open this door up right now I'm going to blast it down!"

That got their attention. The sound of feet slamming down echoed up to them as someone ran up the staircase.

"Geez, anger issues?" Hadrian inquired.

Lucy shrugged her shoulders as the sound of locks being fiddled with and undone came from the other side. "No, actually. If I don't have an air of intimidation when meeting with clients they normally think I'm not capable of handling the job. So I just mimic the most intimidating person I know, add an additional flare of my own, and voila, you get scary me!"

At that moment, the door slid open, revealing the disturbing man who Lucy had met earlier.

"Hey, I remember you!" Hadrian barked playfully, "You're that guy that ran away from our fight the other day! How you been, man? Healing all right? I gave you a serious bruising before! Oh man, we should do that aga-"

"Will you please shut up?" Lucy asked as she looked over her shoulder at her black haired prisoner. "I doubt he wants to fight you again, I mean look at the guy! He's covered in a cold sweat from just being near you!"

Hadrian feigned a look of hurt, "You don't know that! For all we know he could have some sort of deadly disease!"

Lucy only gave him a deadpanned look before moving past the man, who was in fact covered in a clammy sweat, and down the spiral staircase. It wasn't long before the three reached the hidden room and were brought to the five men.

"Here you go, one debilitated mage as ordered," Lucy drawled as she tossed Hadrian onto the floor in front of her, "Now where's my reward?"

Yamanashi signaled the man Lucy had, by this point in time, labeled as _The Doorkeeper_. The Doorkeeper forced Hadrian to stand, who offered a great amount of resistance by keeping his body slack and motionless. While The Doorkeeper, who after a few failed attempts of picking Hadrian up, struggled to drag Hadrian to the back of the room Lucy spoke with her employers.

"So," Lucy watched for a moment with great amusement as The Doorkeeper tried and failed to once again have Hadrian stand before turning her attention to the men in front of her. They were much more of a threat, "As I was saying, my reward?"

Yamanashi, along with the other four, stood before speaking. "I would first like to thank you for dealing with this dark mage. I'm sure the people of this area will now be able to sleep soundly at night, knowing that such a cretin will no longer terrorize and stalk the streets." He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts.

"Sadly, this means we must eliminate you as well. We cannot have the Magic Council discovering our existence. I am truly sorry, miss, but now you must die."

The five men sneered at the blond mage, before they all started activating their own magic. One of the suits re-quipped a long, rather lethal shaped, knife. Fire starting burning in the hands of another. The eyes of one man began to glow yellow before fur started sprouting from his skin and his clothes tearing apart from his expanding muscles. The fourth man simply brought out a pen. Yamanashi interested Lucy the most, however, for he lifted into the air two silver celestial keys.

Lucy stared at the men for a moment, before letting out a short bark of laughter. "Do you really think you can intimidate me with this? I already knew you would try to take me out once I completed the request, so I came prepared. Lyra, now!"

Almost immediately after, a soft voice, which at the same time was still able to heard clearly, started to reverberate throughout the building. Above, on the roof of the building, sat a maiden in a blue dress and bonnet singing and strumming a harp. It was a peaceful tune, one that a parent would use to lull a child to sleep. In fact, that was it's intended purpose. Yamanashi and his counterparts, despite their all their strength and will, were beginning to be effected by the beautiful music kissing their ears. One by one, their minds began to fog, their heads began to dip, their magic dispelled, until they all fell to the ground sound asleep.

Lucy walked up to the sleeping men, and laughed quietly, "You obviously underestimated me. I'm a celestial mage too, you know? I had summoned the spirit of the Lyre, who's songs can effect people's emotions and minds. In this case, she caused you all to go to sleep." Lucy looked over at Hadrian, who had too fallen under the spell of her friend's power, before sighing heavily.

Then, a thought came to her mind, which caused Lucy to snicker, a plot forming in her mind. _This will be fun!_ Lucy thought in her mind as she repressed the urge to erupt into laughter.

**~~~Forward!~~~**

"Thank you for all your help! I never would've been able to bring them to you!" Lucy happily thanked the military officers that were currently carrying away the six criminals, Yamanashi and his crew.

"No problem miss, all in a day's work," one of the soldiers said to her, " but I must say, it's hard to believe you're from Fairy Tail."

Lucy giggled, "I get that a lot."

The soldier nodded then turned to the rest of his troop. "All right men! We're out of here!" The soldier, who must have been the head of the platoon of military officers, then handed Lucy collection of papers. "Bring these to any government building, and the people there should be able to give you your reward for these men."

Lucy nodded in understanding before watching the man leave along with everyone else, leaving her alone in the subterranean room. Lucy glanced around the room before letting out a sigh of satisfaction. _Take that you bastards!_ Lucy thought triumphantly as she started up the staircase. Official first No-Longer-A-Part-Of-Team-Natsu-Mission completed successfully! _That'll show 'em! I'm not nearly as weak as they think I am!_

Lucy left the now abandoned building and went around to the back, where an old wooden ladder. She quickly climbed up to the roof to see a half naked Hadrian tied up with a childish pout on his face. Lucy's hands flew to her mouth to keep her from laughing out loud at the sight, but she was a moment to late as the beginning of a high pitched giggle escaped her.

Hadrian's whipped around that instant, and Lucy could have sworn she saw flames dancing around him that instant and burning within his eyes. He threw himself towards her, worming and thrashing his body all over in an attempt to reach her. Struggle as he may, as soon as Hadrian became relatively close to the blonde mage he was hit a top the head, a dramatically oversized lump in its place.

Lucy climbed the rest of the way onto the roof before kneeling down and untying the now submissive Hadrian Drake. Once he was undone, she handed back his clothes, which she had kept in her bag, as well as his own bag.

"Why?" Hadrian yelled when he was finally dressed again, "Why would you strip me and tie me up?"

Lucy giggled, "I thought it would be funny, plus, I wanted to see if you were as ripped as some of my friends back home."

Hadrian's cheeks became dusted with red at that. Ripped? She wanted to see his muscles. "A-and?"

Lucy smiled brightly, "You were way hotter!" His blush traveled to the rest of his face, turning a brighter shade of red. Lucy giggled yet again at that. Again Hadrian's blush deepened, though this time for a different reason.

**~~~SWITCH!~~~**

_C-cute!_ I thought, staring intently at her smiling face. Suddenly, my heart started beating rapidly, harder and harder against my chest, and the only thing I could think of was taking her into my arms. _Wh-what is this? Why do I feel this way? _I looked away slightly, and the feeling died down slightly, then back at her only for it to come back full force. _Why does it hurt every time I look at her? And why does this pain feel good?_

Coughing into my hand slightly, I asked, "So you know... I still haven't gotten your name."

She looked up at me with surprise, before smiling warmly, "Lucy. My name is Lucy."

My heart started beating even heavier this time. Lucy, it felt like it just rolled off my tongue. I don't know why, but it just felt right. That her name was Lucy just felt like even if she had been named something else at birth, she would still be Lucy. _And that smile! May it never go away while I still live!_

Remembering that she would be expecting an answer, I knelt down to one knee and took Lucy's right hand, softly I kissed the back of it, a top her pink guild mark, before saying, "Well, miss Lucy. I would very much appreciate the allowance of meeting this family of yours."

"Of course, Sir Hadrian. However, instead of meet, why not join?" She said with the same foreign accent.

She and I laughed loudly at our failed attempts of foreign accents. I rose back to my feet and kissed the back of her hand once more.

"Of course."

"_We were happy, she and I. Without a care in the world, we had each other, and at the time it seemed like that was all we would need. We could no longer imagine being apart. That was what tore us apart."_

**A/N: **I hope you guys liked it! I'll posting again soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Okay, so you might be wondering who I am. I'm ArchAngel-Angelo, or was, until I decided to change my name. I know it's preferable to not do that, but this name is one that I'm trying to be use as my name for certain things, this being one of them. Well, I hope this won't be to much of a bother. I've been sending PMs to all of the people who have either favorited me, or followed me, so if you haven't gotten one yet, you probably get one within the next few days.

Onto other topics, does anyone remember how I said early April that I would update like once a month, but then put up like 3 more after that? Yeah, don't expect that very often. I'm trying to update as often as I can, but the minimum will be once a month. Aside from that, there won't be any established uploading schedule.

Now then, onto the story!

**Chapter 4**

The next day, Lucy and Hadrian were sitting on a train on its way from Hargeon back to Magnolia. The two had a room for themselves. Lucy and Hadrian were sitting across from each other, their bags on the open seats next to them. The two were currently having a staring contest with each other.

Both were leaning in towards the each, their eyes wide open as they unblinkingly gazed into the other's eyes. They were studying one another, making sure neither looked away or blinked. When Lucy's eyes were starting to sting more than she could bare, without taking her eyes away she moved her arms and hugged her waist, effectively showing as much cleavage as she was able to. Her plan worked. Hadrian's face went ruddy and became flushed, and try as he might, he was unable to keep himself from glancing down at the glorious landscape before him. Unfortunately for him, Lucy saw his eyes flicker down for that split-second. Lucy let out a victorious laughter before claiming her prize, the allowance of one whack to the head. Why would she want that as her prize, you may ask? It's a simple reason really. When the two had been trying to come up with what the winner's spoils would be, Hadrian suggested a kiss. To his surprise, Lucy readily agreed.

"Ow! What was that? We agreed the prize would be a kiss!" Hadrian whined while rubbing the large bump on his head, the second one he had gotten in only a few days.

"But you did get a kiss," Lucy stated matter-of-factly, "The kiss of my fist!"

Hadrian grumbled his disapproval, but didn't say anything. He leaned back in his chair, contempt to give his female companion the silent treatment. When a few moments passed, and Lucy realized what he was trying to do, she could only giggle.

"The silent treatment? Well alright, I guess I just won't show you my new spirits." She said, making him choose between the two. He had asked for her to demonstrate how Celestial Magic works the day before, but she had explained that she was already pushing her limits in the magic department.

"Wha- no no, no no. Not that. Alright, see? I'm talking again, please show me." He sounded like a small child, begging his mother not to take his toy, and Lucy found it to be quite adorable. She wouldn't let him know that though.

"I don't know, you may just stop talking to me after I show you." Lucy toyed with the other mage.

Hadrian panicked slightly at that. "I'll talk! I'll talk! I promise!"

Lucy smiled brightly when he said that. "Well alright." She said before taking out one of her silver keys. "I'll explain how it works now. First off, there are two main types of keys. The silver keys, which don't take up as much magic, and the Gold Zodiac keys, which take up more magic. The silver keys are more common than the Zodiac Keys, as there are only twelve of them."

She paused to let the information sink in. After a few seconds, Hadrian asked, "So how many gold keys do you have?"

"I have 10 of the 12 Zodiac Keys." Lucy said, as if it didn't really mean much.

Hadrian nearly choked on the air he was breathing. "10!" He exclaimed precariously, "You have 10 of the 12 Zodiac keys?"

Lucy shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, so what?"

Hadrian nearly feel to the floor at that moment. "So what? Doesn't that make you the strongest Celestial Mage in pretty much the whole world?"

Lucy shook her head slightly. "No, it makes me the luckiest mage in the world."

Hadrian cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Luckiest?"

"Yes," Lucy nodded her head in confirmation, "because I've been able to make so many wonderful friends." Lucy hugged her pouch, which held all her units, to her chest. Smiling down at it. "These spirits may be thought of as tools by others, but to me... to me they are my precious family. No matter what, they're there for me, supporting me. And I try to support them as much as I can."

Hadrian nodded his head in understanding before smiling brightly himself. "I get it. From what I saw in our battle, Spirits are living beings just like us."

Lucy smiled as well, "Exactly. So many mages view them as nothing more than tools, their just like us. They laugh laugh, they cry, they love and feel pain, and help one another."

Hadrian let out a toothy grin at the enthusiastic look on Lucy's face. Without thinking, he said, "You look cute when you're passionate about something."

Lucy's face turned a dark crimson as she blushed at the compliment. It took him a few moments to realize what he said, but when he did, Hadrian's face became just as flushed.

"S-sorry." He quietly mumbled. The two remained quiet for a small amount of time, until he tried to break the awkward silence. "S-so... what keys did you get?"

Lucy nodded her head a little bit, before shaking it in surprise, realizing he was talking to her. "O-oh! You were talking to me. Umm..." Lucy fiddled around with her key pouch, placing the one she had taken out before and replacing it with two others. "The keys I got were for two bird constellations." She held up one of the keys, "Pavo, the peacock." She held up the other key, "and Aquila, the eagle."

Hadrian gazed at the Eagle Key before looking up at Lucy. "The eagle one sounds powerful."

"Yes and no. For many of the silver keys, mostly the animal ones, the constellation they represent is more of a species than an individual spirit. For instance, there would be a species of eagles that are all connected to the Aquila keys."

"Keys? As in more than one?" Hadrian asked.

"Yep. You see, unlike the Zodiac keys, which are one of a kind, there are multiple silver keys for many of the constellations."

"So does that mean you could summon an entire flock of eagles?"

"No, each key can only summon one spirit. Which spirit that is, however, changes every time the owner of that key changes."

"Okay," Hadrian stated, "so even though it summons Aquila, which Aquila that is depends on the the current wielder of the key."

"Exactly." Lucy paused, thinking about how to word the next part. "Now because each Celestial Mage can only summon one Spirit from each species, it would be troublesome if the spirit was unable to grow stronger even if the mage did. So for that reason, if a Celestial mage grows in power, so do their spirits."

"Okay, I think I get it. If you were to summon Aquila and get one that is weaker than others, then they too will get stronger." Hadrian explained.

"You're doing well! And good job figuring out how which spirit is chosen for which mage." Lucy smiled brightly as her student jumped to the next part of the lesson on his own.

Hadrian shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Well if the spirit changes which each mage, then there must be reason. So when you said that they get stronger instead of changing, then there had to be reason. The most understandable one would have to be that each spirit is chosen depending on the power it currently has and the power the mage has when first summoning the spirit."

Lucy nodded her head once again. "Correct. When a Celestial mage first summons a spirit with a newly acquired key, which spirit that is summoned is dependent on the power of both the mage and the spirit. So in short, if I were to summon a spirit with my Aquila key, the spirit that is summoned would be one that is closest in level of power when compared to my own."

"Okay," Hadrian said, satisfied with the information he's learned. With that, his demeanor changed almost entirely, from a serious and studious person to one seriously in touch with the inner child. "So can you show me which spirits you would get?" He asked eagerly, pumping his arms up and down on his lap in an attempt to control his excitement.

Lucy giggled at the enthusiasm, and truly wished she could do what he asked. "Sorry, since I don't know what spirit I would get, or even the size of a regular Aquila eagle, it would be better if we waited till we were in a more open place."

Hadrian pouted in disappointment, but agreed anyways. Better to wait and have fun then do it now and have his ear chewed off. So instead he switched to another topic I conversation, "So I have another question. Yesterday after our fight, you're spirit said you were almost out of magic, so how is it that you aren't exhausted after everything that happened afterwards?"

Lucy thought about it for a few seconds before answering. "I think... I think it may be because during our fight was the first time I could summon two spirits at the same time. So even though I was low on magic, I didn't need to use as much to summon Lyra. After she went back to the spirit world, I could feel myself pretty low on magic, but since I didn't need to use anymore I was able to get a good amount back."

"How do you know your power increased during the fight instead of sometime before without you noticing?"

That was certainly possible, what with the adventures that have been happening before she came to Hargeon, but Lucy knew better.

"No, I would have known. Unless some serious training has been done, Celestial Mages normally increase their power while in the middle of combat or from an outside source. I sensed my magical ability improve while we were battling." Lucy then brought out the key she had first taken out. "Anyways, since you haven't been able to see a Spirit actually summoned yet, I thought I'd bring out one that barely took up any magic to begin with."

Lucy waved the key in the air, a giant magic circle appearing. With a poof followed by the sound of a dog barking, a small, shaggy, white haired dog with an orange nose appeared, with adorably large orange eyes and the look of absolute happiness. Lucy gasped at the sight, while Hadrian face-palmed at the sight of such an intensely cute creature. "Plue!" Lucy nearly shouted, "You've changed!" No longer was there the humanoid spirit with a carrot like nose, but a pup that Lucy couldn't help but cuddle. "You're so cute!" She screamed, hugging Plue to her chest. In return, the dog barked in enjoyment before licking its master on the face.

While Lucy and her spirit played around, laughing and giggling, Hadrian tried his best not to let out an exasperated sigh of disappointment. Really? A cute and cuddly puppy? He was expecting a fierce warrior, one that could beat up anyone it wanted and strike fear into the hearts of those it viewed as enemies. Not a small dog that looked like the best it could do was bite someone.

Hadrian sighed slightly, softly enough so that neither Lucy or the newly summoned spirit could here. Maybe it's strength wasn't something physical, but something magic. It was a celestial spirit, so it's strength had to be from it's magical power. Satisfied with that answer, Hadrian sat back, ready to enjoy the rest of the train ride in peace. He had closed his eyes for only a few moments before feeling something furry curl up on his lap and something rest on his shoulder. Hadrian shifted his head slightly to see what exactly was laying on him. On his lap was Plue, curled up and already emitting the dog equivalent of a light snore. Next to him sat Lucy, whose head fit perfectly into the crook of his neck. Besides the ruddy pallor that now occupied Hadrian's face, or the fact that his heart might actually explode from the speed it was pounding inside his chest, Hadrian saw no problem with the two of them there. So after spending nearly an hour trying to calm himself down, the shadow mage, too, fell asleep.


End file.
